CAT-GRIZ DRIVE — The Pondera Medical Center did a Bobcat-Griz food drive. The Cats had 193 pounds of food and the Griz, in romping over Bozeman in the annual football clash, also got away from the Cats, collecting 388 pounds for a total of 561 pounds of food for the local Food Pantry. From the left is Elmer Philipps, President of the Food Bank, Mark Jones CEO/PMC and Ruby and Glenn Bouma of the Food Pantry. Photo Courtesy of the PMC

By Buck Traxler, I-O Editor

For official purposes, the city council approved names to the Industrial Park and two streets on Monday evening.

On a 4-0 vote the council approved the official name to be Conrad East Industrial park.

That was easy. Not so easy was naming a street running north and south at the Park. The county road, running east and west is named Legacy Road.

There were also four choices to choose from; Rhode Island, New York, Vermont or Wyoming.

Councilmen Sandy Syvertson and Wally McHenry liked Wyoming. On a motion to name the street Wyoming, Syvertson and McHenry voted yes. However, councilmen Karla Breding and Ron Widhalm voted no, creating a tie, to be broken by Mayor Wendy Judisch.

She voted no to Wyoming meaning the aldermen had to choose another name from the pool. Breding made a motion to name the street Vermont and got a second from Widhalm.

You could see it coming. The Vermont name got two votes for and two votes against, once more creating a tie-breaker for the mayor. She voted in favor of the Vermont name.

Vermont is in the New England region of the northeastern U.S. It is the only New England state not to border the Atlantic Ocean and its claim to fame is that it is the largest producer of maple syrup in the U.S.

A street was named East Main Street; it is a road way that leaves Main St. and meets (now) Vermont. This was approved on a 4-0 vote of the council.

For the first time in about 10 months there were no building permits presented. Also, there were no water contracts to act on.

The council approved R-12-1064 which is for a conditional use permit for Chelsey Stubbs to have a massage business at a residence, 512 S. Michigan to be open from 10 a.m. – 6 p.m. Tuesday through Friday.

Aldermen, after a letter was read by Mayor Judisch, accepted the resignation of Police Patrolman I Tom Kinyon. On the recommendation of Chief Gary Dent, Asa Baizl was hired to replace Kinyon.

After some discussion it was decided not to raise dog or cat license fees for ‘fixed’ animals. The fee was last raised in 2007 from $2 to $4. However, the rate for animals not spayed will go up to $15.

On a vote of 4-0, the council moved not to raise business license fees. Five dollars from each license goes to help pay for lighting on the bill board advertising Conrad on I-15.

CHS Principal Ken Larson and Superintendent of Schools Craig Barringer were on hand to seek an easement to run a power line from Meadowlark School to the sign on the corner of 7 3rd Ave. SE and Main St. Eventually the school would have a lighted LED sign that would be programmable.

The school district is looking for an easement to cross the alley between Meadowlark and Conrad Tire. Larson noted they can go under the alley without digging it up.

This project won’t happen until 2013, but the school district wants to get everything in order well ahead of time.

Joe Irving, Councilman Widhalm, Brad Berthelson and Wally Larson were appointed to the Board of Adjustments.